Normally a woman who enjoyed sleeping until noon if she got the chance, when the sun streamed through the blinds the next morning, Laura awoke with a smile on her face and more energy than she knew what to do with. Although tempted to take up where they had left off the night before, when she saw Toni sleeping peacefully, Laura silently chastised herself for her thoughts and crept from the room. Trying her best to keep her mind off the woman in her bed, she padded downstairs and proceeded to straighten the lounge, tidy up the kitchen and make a pot of coffee before the urge to return to Toni became too strong. Carefully carrying two mugs up the stairs, Laura quietly snuck back into the bedroom, placed the coffee on the nightstand, and dropping her robe on the floor, slipped back under the sheets.

Rolling to her side, she propped herself up on one elbow and admired the view. Her first thought was to run her fingers through Toni's tousled hair, but deciding to let the woman sleep for a little while longer, Laura instead allowed her eyes to wander. When they came to rest upon two hardened buds under the ivory cotton percale, she held back a grin as she gently moved the sheet aside.

Again, Laura was amazed how the sight of Toni's body ignited her desire in an instant, for when her eyes settled on the erect, pale pink crests, Laura's center awakened with a flutter. Swallowing the moisture building in her mouth, she leaned over and gently ran her tongue over the tightly beaded tip, and then watched as the already alert point seemed to grow harder before her eyes. After a quick glance to make sure Toni was still asleep, Laura grew bolder. Tasting again, she casually ran her tongue around the darkened center until she heard Toni's breathing change.

Without opening her eyes, Toni murmured, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Just saying hello."

"If I'm not mistaken, you said hello last night."

"Yes, I did, but this is a new day," Laura said, flicking her tongue across the pointed tip.

Sighing at the sensation, Toni stretched her legs and opened her eyes. Gazing at the woman smiling back at her, she said, "Good morning."

"Good morning," Laura said, running her hand across Toni's belly. "Should I let you go back to sleep?"

"What time is it?"

"Almost eight."

"Oh, I should get up."

"What's the rush?" Laura asked, covering Toni's right breast with her hand.

Enjoying Laura's tender tweaking of her nipple, Toni closed her eyes. "I'd...I'd like to go out today and buy my fiancee a ring."

Laura beamed. "Really?"

"Yes, really."

"I guess we should go early then, huh? Try to beat the rush," Laura said as her hand began to travel under the sheets.

"It makes the most sense given my...my...oh...fear of crowds," Toni said, shifting slightly as Laura brushed her fingers through the mound of curly hair between her legs.

"So you're saying we don't have time for this," Laura said, flicking her tongue across Toni's nipple again.

Arching her chest toward Laura's awaiting mouth, Toni said, "No, I'm just saying...we'll have to...we'll have to make it fast."

Fast was definitely an option Laura was willing to take. Quickly capturing Toni's nipple in her mouth, she sucked hard against the erect bud as she slipped her hand between Toni's legs. Amazed at the wetness she found, Laura snaked her fingers through the delicate softness until she reached her target. Easily dipping a finger inside, as Laura began to rub, Toni began to squirm.

The night before they had celebrated their engagement with tender foreplay that lasted long into the night before climax had been reached, but Laura wasn't the only one who had awoken with a need, so when she increased the tempo, Toni was more than receptive to the pace.

Within only a few minutes, Toni began to feel the distant thrum of her orgasm building within her, and hungry for release, she urged Laura to the mattress. Straddling her thigh, Toni forced Laura's hand between her legs, and as soon as Laura's fingers returned to her warm, wet center, Toni began to rock.

Thrusting her hips, Toni took Laura inside of her again and again, impaling herself in abandon until a rumbling, groan rose in her throat. She stilled for a second, waiting for completion and when it happened, it took her breath away. Collapsing on top of Laura, Toni rode out the spasms of her orgasm until, gasping for air and shining with sweat, she rolled to her side. Relishing the feel of the cool sheets against her heated skin, ever so slowly, her breathing returned to normal.

Laura waited as Toni returned to earth, and when her eyes opened, Laura asked, "Are you okay?"

"I will be in a minute," Toni said in a low, sexy voice as she slid off the bed.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm not the one who's going anywhere," Toni said as she pushed away the sheets. Curling her finger at Laura, she beckoned her closer. "Come here."

Toni's command packed a sensual wallop that settled soundly between Laura's legs. In an instant, Laura was on her knees, her breathing turning shallow as she crawled to the edge of the bed. With her eyes locked on Toni's, Laura took her hand, standing only for a moment before finding herself being lowered to the sheets again.

Placing a pillow under Laura's bottom, Toni leered at her. "It's time for breakfast, darling and I'm very...very hungry."

Kneeling on the floor, Toni gazed at what was in front of her. Feminine petals drenched with excitement awaited her, and wasting no time in sampling the banquet, Toni spread them with her thumbs and ran her tongue along a furrow. Delighting in the essence of Laura's desire, Toni had no intention of taking the option of fast, and minutes passed by as she tasted, licked and probed until Laura raised her hips and pleaded, "Oh, Toni...please. Oh please...please do it now."

Toni purred at the plea. Easing a finger into Laura's slick center, she began to drive Laura insane. Toni was a quick study when it came to what would make Laura explode, and after only a few more minutes of tormenting her with long, steady strokes, Toni parted Laura's folds and began tickling her entrance with her tongue.

Air rushed from Laura's lungs. "Oh...oh...oh..." she gasped, placing her feet on Toni's shoulders. "Oh...oh...yessss."

Encouraged by the passionate response, Toni continued to tease with her tongue, all the while using her thumb to draw lazy figure eights over Laura's clit. Increasing the pressure with each circle of the swollen bud, Toni was unforgiving. She licked and teased while Laura moaned and bucked, raising her sex toward Toni's mouth with urgency until finally, Laura couldn't hold out any longer.

Grabbing hold of the sheets, Laura raised her hips again. "Now, Toni! Oh...God...now!"

Hearing the desperation in Laura's voice, Toni gave her what she knew she wanted. Exposing Laura's quivering center, Toni pushed her tongue inside.

Unmercifully claiming its victim, the orgasm took Laura's breath away, and as her body pulsed, pushing desire from her center, Toni tasted every drop. Gently licking away the ambrosial nectar, Toni waited until she felt Laura relax before she slowly climbed onto the bed, and brushing soaked strands of auburn from Laura's forehead, she placed her lips on Laura's.

Their feminine flavors mixed, and savoring the blend, it took everything Toni had to pull away. If it had been just another Saturday, spending the rest of the morning in bed with the woman lying naked across the sheets wouldn't have been a problem, but ever since Laura had slipped the ring on her finger, all Toni wanted to do was to return the sentiment. Jumping out of bed, she announced, "It's time to get your lovely arse in gear, Miss MacLeod. We have things to do."

"Give me one good reason why I should," Laura mumbled, opening one eye.

"Because I want to buy the woman I love an engagement ring, but without her help, I can't. That is unless you want me to ask Krista to run out and pick one up?"

Scrambling to her feet, Laura kissed Toni on the cheek. "Not on your life."

"Then you'd best get a move on. You know how I get in crowded stores."

"Give me five minutes."

Watching Laura sashay to the bathroom in all her nakedness, Toni smiled. "I'll give you ten."

Although they had several more gifts to purchase before their Christmas lists were completed, when Toni requested that the first stop be the jewelry store where Laura had purchased her ring, Laura happily agreed. Believing that she would accompany Toni into the store to choose the ring, Laura was shocked when Toni ordered her to stay in the car. With a confidence Laura had only ever seen behind the walls of her home, Toni exited the car and marched into the shop.

It was your typical jewelry store, filled with cases displaying gems from around the world. Behind the counters stood the sale staff wearing painted on smiles, assisting hunched-over customers who were pressing their fingers against the glass as they swooned over the selections.

Avoiding eye contact with customers and salespeople alike, Toni slowly walked around the shop until she found the cases displaying what she sought. Glancing at the ring she now proudly wore on her left hand, she took a deep breath and stepped closer to view the collection of diamond solitaires on velvet fingers.

"I'm glad to see you said yes."

Toni tensed. Slowly raising her eyes, she found herself looking at a woman in her early sixties who was standing on the other side of the counter. "I'm...I'm sorry?"

Pointing to Toni's engagement ring, the gray-haired woman said, "A few days ago I sold that to a young woman who said she wanted to propose to her girlfriend, and I'm assuming that's you."

Toni blushed, and with a nod, she whispered, "Yes. Yes, it is."

Perplexed by Toni's nervousness, the woman asked, "I'm sorry, but is everything all right? Is there something wrong with the ring?"

"What? Oh, no. No, it's fine," Toni said, shaking her head. "I'm...I'm not...I'm just not very comfortable around crowds. That's all."

Glancing past Toni to the people rapidly filling the shop, the woman leaned closer. "Well, I'm afraid it's only going to get worse as the day goes on. It is the season for gifts of gold and silver."

"Yeah...yeah, I suppose," Toni said, going rigid when another customer leaned over to look into the case.

Smelling of gardenias and covered in glitz and finery, the woman didn't seem to care that she was invading Toni's space.

Taking a step back, it was all Toni could do to find her voice. "I-I-I think I need to leave."

Annoyed by the pompous matriarch's intrusion, the saleswoman said loudly, "Without getting your lovely girlfriend a ring?"

The dowager's head snapped up. Glaring down her narrow nose at Toni, she then turned her condescending look to the saleswoman. Curling her lip, she grunted in disgust and stomped away.

"Well, it seems we have the case to ourselves again," the saleswoman said, smiling brightly. "Isn't that convenient?"

With just a hint of a grin, Toni lifted her eyes. "You...you didn't have to do that."

"Give me one reason why that old biddy needs to peruse engagement rings," she said, using a cloth to wipe the woman's fingerprints from the glass. "Besides, it's about time we're allowed to marry those we love. Wouldn't you agree?"

An hour later, Toni emerged from the shop, shaky and pale, but with her purchase in hand. Sliding into the passenger seat, she closed her eyes and concentrated on slowing down her breathing.

"You okay?" Laura asked.

"Yeah. I just need a minute."

After a few moments of staring at the small white bag clutched in Toni's hand, Laura said, "So, I'm assuming you found something."

"Yes, I did," Toni said, opening her eyes.

"Can I see it?"

Amused by Laura's eagerness, Toni said, "No, you may not."

Inquisitive to the point of being comical, Laura tried her best to convince Toni to hand over the ring, but stating that the setting was neither romantic nor appropriate, Toni stuffed the package in her pocket and informed Laura she would have to wait. Slightly annoyed by Toni's decision, at first Laura tried to rush through the rest of the day's shopping spree, but as the afternoon progressed, stores got busier and Toni's anxieties flared. More than once, Toni had to return to the car to gather her wits, and in the ladies' room of an overcrowded toy store, Laura spent the better part of a half hour patiently talking Toni back from a panic attack. Although Laura's curiosity was still very much alive and well, she slowed their pace to a crawl, and Toni's nerves calmed.

After stopping by their favorite Chinese restaurant for take-away, they arrived home with the boot of Laura's car filled with packages and a paper bag overflowing with cartons of Eastern cuisine. Suggesting Laura start a fire so they could enjoy their meal in front of the hearth, Toni disappeared into the kitchen, returning a few minutes later carrying two glasses of wine.

Noticing Laura staring into the flames, Toni flicked off the table lamp, and when Laura turned in her direction, she walked over, placed the glasses on the table and knelt on one knee. Gazing at the woman she loved, Toni opened her hand to reveal the ring she had bought that morning, and in a whisper she asked, "I know this is just a formality, but will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

"In a heartbeat," Laura said in a breath. Holding out her hand, Laura's eyes overflowed as Toni slipped the diamond ring on her finger.

Abby noticed the ring on Toni's finger as soon as she walked into the house, but it wasn't until she was settled on the sofa that she made her observation known. "Nice ring," she said nonchalantly as she sipped her coffee. "Laura has good taste."

"In rings or fiancees?"

"Both, I think."

"Do you think we're ready for this?" Toni asked, holding up her left hand.

"Do you?"

"I asked you first."

"Fair enough," Abby said with a nod. "Honestly, when Laura first told me about her plans, I was a bit concerned that she might be rushing things, but later after she had bought you that ring, I went home and spent the night thinking about you...and about her."

"And?"

"Well, unless I'm mistaken, we all know that you most likely have years of therapy ahead of you. Agreed?"

"Yeah," Toni answered quietly.

"And I also think it's safe to say that we all know that some of your...your issues may never be completely resolved. Also true?"

"Yes."

"Laura doesn't care."

"What?"

"Laura doesn't care if she has to hold your hand when you walk into a store. She doesn't care if she has to order your meals, or keep a paper sack in every handbag she owns. It simply doesn't matter to her. She doesn't see your issues as problems, Toni, she just sees them for what they are, part of what makes you-you. I'm not saying she isn't happy when you take a step in the right direction, but if you never took another one, if this was as good as you could get, Laura wouldn't love you any less."

"So Laura's ready, but what about me?"

"Oh, you're more than ready."

"How do you figure that?"

"Because you've already come to terms with the fact that you have years of therapy ahead of you and that some problems may never be solved, but you and I both know you'll never give up trying, and we both know why."

"Laura."

Abby smiled. "I've never met two people more in love than you and Laura. You're both committed to each other, and you're both going into this with your eyes wide open. Neither of you are naive enough to believe your life together will be perfect, but since you're both more stubborn than the day is long, I have no doubt that you'll make it work." Noticing a hint of concern on Toni's face, Abby asked softly, "Toni, do you love her?"

"More than I can say."